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' MANUFACTURE OF HATTBAMES AND BODIES.

atented July 10 DWIGHT WHEELER Ann DAVID o:

PATENT ()inucEe W'HEELER, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONN.

MANU'FACTURE'OF HAT FRAMES AAND BODIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 280,980, dated July 10,1883. Application filed OCtO'bel 4, 1882. (N model.)

To-aZZ whom it may concern.-

. tain Improvements in the Manufactureof Hat Frames and Bodies, of whichthe following is a specification.

Our invention is an improvement in the manufacture of that class of hatsin which the bodies are formed or molded to the. proper shape by dies;and our invention consists in the mode and appliances hereinafter fullyset forth, whereby we'are enabled to effect the shaping of the bodiesmore rapidly and at lessexpense for time, labor, and machinery than byordinary modes and apparatus.

In the drawings which form part of this specification, Figure 1 is asectional elevation, showing one form of apparatus which may beemployed. in carrying out our invention. Fig. 2 is a part sectionalelevation of the same, the parts in a different position. Fig. 3 is asee tional plan.

In forming hat-bodies of burlap or other material it is common to usetwo corresponding male and female dies of the precise shape of the hatto be formed, and to bring the dies gradually together upon a sheet ofburlap,

while the latter is stretched and manipulated by two operators for thepurpose of distending it and working out the folds and wrinkles as thedies approach each other. This operation is tedious, the dies areexpensive, and skilled workmen only can be successfully employed. Toavoid the objections incident to this process, we discard the ordinarymale and female dies formed to correspond to the hat, and use instead ahat-block, A, and a female die, B, with an upper facecorrespond ing tothe form of the brim, and with a central. opening, as, adapted to admitthe block, and we dispense with the manipulation of the sheet of burlapor body material 1, and instead maintain it mechanically under atension, while permitting it to yield to the move= ments of the block.The die B rests upon a steambox, 0, supported by a suitable stand, D,and a projecting arm, E, of the stand carries a screw, F, or otherdevice whereby the block A may be forced downward into the opening 00.The burlap is distended by means of a series of L-shaped arms, G, eachhung at the inner end to a sleeve, a, sliding on a rod, 1), beneath thestand, in a line with the screw, and provided at the outer end with aneccentric clamp, d. The arms G are guided in a frame, H, having radialslotted arms, through which said arms G extend, as shown;

: and a weight, connected to a cord attached to the sleeve a,andextending over pulleys e 6, serves as a means of drawing the sleeveupward on the guide-rod Z) and of distending the arms. The arms may bedepressed by means of a treadle or foot-lever, 1, bearing on the sleevea, as shown. The corners of the sheet 3 are secured to the ends of thearms G when the latter are elevated and spread, as shown in Fig. 1. Thetreadle I is then depressed to carry the arms to the position shown inFig. 2, thereby stretching the sheet tightly over the face of the die B.The block A, of any suitable form, is then placed upon the sheet abovethe opening an, and is forced into the latter by turning the screw F,the pressure being maintained on the treadle, so as to prevent anycreasing or wrinkling of the sheet, but not so positively as to preventa slight yielding of the arms when necessary to prevent rupture of thematerial. By this means the body will be quickly molded upon the block Awithout creases or wrinkles, and the brim will simultaneously assume theshape of I the die B. After the parts are in the position shown in Fig.2, a cord is passedaround the sheet to draw it into a groove, 20, in thedieB and hold the sheet in place until set to the required shape, whenthe pressure is removed from the treadle, the ends of the sheet areunclamped, the cord untied, and the completed body removed prior to theformation of another.

We have found that this mode of manufacture is applicable to theformation of bodies of themost irregular shapes, and that such shapescan be formed expeditiously and readily as those of a more uniformcharacter; that but one attendant is required at a ma chine, (when onlyone machine is used,) and that ordinary unskilled workmen will producebetter results with this mode than the ICC We have shown the appliancesabove de- 5 scribed to illustrate one means of carrying out our improvedprocess; but we do not confine ourselves to the use of such devices, asothers may be substituted therefor with like result. Thus a toggle maybe substituted for the screw F,- securing a quicker action in depressingthe block A, and weights attached to cords having clamps for securingthe ends of the sheet may be substituted for the tension devices shown.To regulatethe tensionimpartedto the sheet of material, we provide theframe H with ad justable slots '6, by which the inward movements of thearm G maybe limited or defined, a greater tension being secured inproportion as the arms G are more widely spread as they are carrieddownward.

We are aware that felt bodies, after being partly formed, are blockedand molded to the crown and brim piece by bringing an open former orring over the crown-piece.

invention is distinguished from this by the fact that we form the bodyfrom a single flat piece, and by the further fact that our pro- Our'cess is for forming the body material into shape, said .body beingafterward covered, 0

v whereas in that described the entire hat itself is molded directly offelt.

We claime 1. 'In the manufacture of hats, drawing the body material intherform of a fiat sheet 5 tightly over a brim-die having a centralopening, and then forcing a body-block into said opening whilethematerial is maintained in a state of tension, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination of a stationary brim- 4c die having an opening, an,appliances whereby the sheet of material may be tightly drawn over saiddie, a body-block, and device for forcing the latter into .thedie-opening upon the sheet while the latter is in a state of tension,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the die, arms, operating devices, and frame H, asset forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our ,names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses. DWIGHT WHEELER.

. DAVID 0. WHEELER. Witnesses:

L. S. OATLIN, J onn M. OTIS.

